Stories of RuneMidgard: The Cursed Sword
by Mystery23
Summary: Full Summary inside. Formerly a oneshot, now is the first chapter of my Ragnarok story. Please, read it and don't weep. XD
1. Ch1: She likes flames and flowers

**Summary: **A swordsman found himself pairing up with the most unlikely of partners, an alchemist. The two began their journey together on a simple foraging trip for the alchemist's potion-making. But when they heard of the cursed swords that lies deep within the ruins of Glast Heim, both of them set out to find it and retrieve it. At the end of it all, will they manage to finish their quest? Or will the threatening darkness of the sword engulf them all? And so book one of the 'Stories of Rune Midgard' begins...

**The Cursed Sword...**

Here ya go! The re-edited version of my oneshot! Hope you guys find it... readable and fun. XD Don't forget to click mr. blue button at the bottom of the page!

**Disclaimer**: I only own the OCs, and some concepts. Ragnarok Online (game and manga) are owned by Gravity Co., Level up! Games, and Lee Myung Jin.

* * *

**Chapter 1: **I met a girl, and she likes flames and flowers...

A lone swordsman was sitting idly alongside the busy streets of Prontera on a particularly hot summer day. He had just finished a gruelling quest in Alberta that consisted of catching mice with leaf balls, whatever that was. He just wanted to take a little rest amidst the loud crowds of merchants, blacksmiths and alchemists selling their wares to unsuspecting, gullible buyers, and the screams of brave and noisy adventurers asking for priests and wizards to join them in their quest to some hard dungeon where they would probably end up dead, or would at least be severely beat up. Yeah, he just wanted to rest within all the chaos surrounding him.

Feeling thirsty all of a sudden, he took out a milk carton from his bag and drank it all in one big gulp. His thirst quenched, the young swordsman stood up, dusting off his pants. The wind flew by, ruffling his blond hair, getting dust in his cobalt-blue eyes as well. He immediately rubbed his eyes furiously, forgetting everything his parents taught him about the dangers or rubbing your eyes with your hands. After this little incident, he went to the market place, intent on looking for useful things out of the junk most dealers over there sell at insanely high prices. At the time he didn't know that his little shopping spree was going to be the worst mistake he had ever made… Well, on that day at least.

He waded through the sea of people in the market place, looking here and there for something significant, and hopefully worth its price. Some of the items caught his attention, such as the much-coveted +10 Murasame that was being sold at four million zeny. To him it was a reasonable price, considering the harsh difficulty of attaining the weapon and then refining it beyond the safe levels, compared to a Falchion [4] being sold by a newbie merchant by roughly the same price. Apparently he was going for the newb's fast (and frequently ineffective) way to riches, and was just looking for a sucker to bite his bait, probably another newbie with a huge inheritance. He also saw a lot of cards that could be useful to his career as a swordsman, but they were all priced so high it would take him years before he could buy one. A few armor pieces and accessories also made him look, but again he was forced to look away due to the seven or eight digits worth of prices plastered to them.

Exhausted from seeing a lot of people and a lot of steep prices, he decided to walk towards the edge of the marketplace. There he saw two female hunters who were quarrelling about who had the cuter falcon, a kind-looking priestess offering free yet dubious warps to unsuspecting adventurers, a young bard-and-dancer duo who were performing an ensemble (much to the delight of the small crowd that gathered around them), and a female alchemist sitting against the wall of a house, with various ingredients at her side, and bottles of many shapes and sizes on the other. She stood out the most among the people on that side for the marketplace. And for some unknown reason, the young swordsman found himself walking towards her.

"Hey there," the swordsman greeted the alchemist. '_Wait, how did I get here? And why am I greeting her like this? She might think I'm a stalker and… that won't end well,_' he thought to himself.

The alchemist seemed to be to engrossed in what she was doing that she hardly noticed him standing in front of her, let alone heard him greet her. He didn't hear her screaming bloody murder against a prospective stalker like him, so he took a closer look at her. He saw a PhD hat on top of her head, something suitable to an alchemist of her nature: a brewer. But other than that he couldn't see much due to the smoke that was rising up from whatever she was brewing. He tried getting her attention again.

"Hey. Helloooo... My name's Johann. What's yours?" Johann, the blond-haired, blue-eyed swordsman, politely asked.

This time his gentlemanly greeting appeared to have worked, because the alchemist stopped brewing her potions. She lifted her head up and looked straight at his face. Johann repressed the sudden urge to blush, and cursed his active hormones for it. The alchemist had a smooth heart-shaped face, adorned with crimson eyes. She had light purple hair, with a heart clip keeping her bangs in check. She also had a pair of glasses on, completing the cute professor look. But something was wrong with her face. She had that dazed look that only scientists who are so into their work that they forget about everything else have. Perhaps her reaction was involuntary, developed through her long hours of constant brewing, or so Johann thought. After a few seconds of blank staring, the alchemist went back to her work, mashing up ingredients and putting them all in a bottle full of some clear liquid.

At first, Johann was irritated that she would not take a little of her time to greet him back, even if it was just a simple 'hi'. But seeing that he didn't have anything better to do, he sat down in front of her and stared at her, hoping to unnerve her with incessant attention. His plan backfired though. After a while he became hypnotized by the little motions she was making while brewing her potions. The way her hands moved back and forth among the ingredients and the bottles, her look of utmost concentration as she poured liquid from bottle to bottle, and the occasional rest along with a swipe on the forehead (which lasted for only two seconds), left Johann impressed by this alchemist. He spent the rest of the afternoon just looking after her, sending some rude passer-by off for trying to disturb her. Some gossiping mages who walked by them pointed at him and giggled, mostly out of derision. He didn't care, because he felt at peace there, no matter how strange that sounded. He thought that coming to the marketplace was a good thing after all.

If he only knew how gravely wrong he was.

It all happened so quickly that Johann didn't even had time to think why he was being dragged outside the streets of Prontera by the cute alchemist, with the Pronteran Guard on their tail, along with a few surly-looking, axe-wielding blacksmiths and merchants. It started when she abruptly stood up, having finished her work before Johann even noticed. She was holding a lot of different potions in her arms in a way that a small bump will cause them all to fall smashing on the floor. Johann was still sitting in front of her, and she was starting to walk to her cart, which was strangely situated right next to Johann. She didn't see Johann as a potential disaster flag, and hadn't walked a step when the inevitable happened. Johann only had time to feel her falling down on him, before crashing flat on his back on the floor. He heard glass breaking and people screaming a few paces away from him, but his hormone-driven mind was more concerned on the alchemist who was lying on top of him. The soft sensation that he felt somewhere on his chest didn't help things, and the fact that they were staring face to face, cobalt-blue meeting crimson red… Once again he saw her face in full, features and all, and again he had to subdue a blush that was threatening to come out.

The two stayed like that for about five seconds, when a scream tore through the air, snapping the two out of their trance. As fast as humanly possible, they both stood up, dusting off dirt from their clothes. There was a sense of awkwardness between the two, as they were quite fidgety and trying to avoid each other's eyes. But that was immediately replaced by shock and horror at the scene that was unfolding before them.

An inferno had broken out all over the marketplace. Many carts were burning up and were being dragged by their owners away from the flames, not knowing that doing so only helps spread the fires even more. Everyone was running in circles, screaming for help. Goods were knocked over, weapons were strewn all across the floor, and some oil bottles that just happened to be on sale got thrown over the blaze, making everything ten times worse. It didn't help that there were also carnivorous plants all across the marketplace, snapping at people. And they looked real hungry, enough to rip someone's bag of his back. Some were shooting seeds and spines, intent on not letting everyone get out unscathed. Their unusual immunity to fire only added to the chaos that was quickly enveloping the place. Those recovering from the initial chaos tried to fight the havoc unleashed by the alchemist's potions. Blacksmiths were trying to subdue the carnivorous floral monsters, given their resistance to fire. But even with that they were having a hard time fighting. Johann would have wanted to help, but he had his fireproof armor back at the storage. And if buffed blacksmiths had a hard time dealing with them, I wouldn't fare any better, he thought. Wizards and sages were extinguishing the flames using their ice and water spells. But the more they put out, the more they flare up. Johann was just standing there, stunned. He knew he could do nothing to help, and that tore him up inside. He looked sideways at the alchemist, and was amazed, or rather horrified, to see her smiling. And she was smiling _creepily_; the way mad scientists did when one of their horribly wrong inventions went right.

"Fufufufu… Finally, I got the formula right!" the alchemist exclaimed, no longer having the cute professor look that she had a few minutes ago. It replaced by a deranged look that unnerved Johann. But it was the smile that really got him. "I found a way to enhance my precious floral pets with added strength and toughness, and a natural immunity to fire! And I have managed to make my fire bottles burn in such a way that it turns all magical energy around it into combustible material! Well, it still needs a little stabilizing, but it works! Mwahahaha!" She ended her little monologue with a laugh that sent the hairs on the back of Johann's neck on end. He was beginning to wonder if the alchemist was bipolar or something. He was also asking himself if it was safe to be near her at all.

….

Everything was eventually put under control only after half an hour, with the help of the Pronteran Guard. The fact that the plants and the fire had an expiry date of thirty minutes after use (most probably due to the alchemist's enhancements) helped for a major part. The Guard was questioning everyone about the whereabouts of the perpetrator of the fire, and the carnivorous plant attack. Strangely, Johann was still there, standing alongside the mad alchemist. He was rooted to the spot because of intense fear, partly due to the earlier chaotic incident, partly due to standing next to the root cause of said accident. Speaking of her, she had a satisfied look on her face, like how a mother looks when her children are doing her proud. She appeared to have stayed to watch and enjoy the performance of her creations, at the expense of almost the whole marketplace.

'_Wow… She is, for lack of a better term, creepy. I need to get out of here before anything else happens. Or worse, someone might mistake me for her companion, and that is not good_,' Johann thought, and began making his way slowly out of the marketplace. '_Great. Now I'm thinking like a criminal…_' The alchemist appeared to be thinking the same thing as well, since she was packing her things in her bag and was trying to inconspicuously escape the Guard.

They almost made it too, until someone shouted at us. '_Crap, oh crap, oh crap crap crappity crap. And did I mention crap?_,' was the only thought that was running through their heads at that time.

"THEM! THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS! I SAW THEM THROW ALL THOSE POTIONS AT US!" a hysterical young merchant girl was shouting at the guard, while pointing an accusing finger at us. It hurt Johann that he was associated with this… madman, or madwoman of an alchemist.

'_Hey! I wasn't part of this! And I didn't throw the potions with her! It was an accident!_' his inner self shouted loudly, but he knew that actually saying such a thing to the public would only make him more suspicious.

"I SAW THAT WOMAN LAUGHING MANIACALLY! IT WAS SCARY!" the merchant kept on screaming. She was practically close to tears now. I couldn't blame her. Part of her clothing was burned. Her bag was ruined, probably bitten off by a Flora (those disgusting man-eating flowers with huge mouths). The worst blow was her banged-up cart. It looked less like a cart than a scalded piece of junk metal, and it was still smoking.

'_Well, I can't really deny that… I mean, I was right beside her when she was doing that… It creeps me out just by thinking about it,_' Johann thought, shivering at the memory of that laugh.

"Say no more, poor child," the captain of the guard, a crusader in all his armor-plated glory, said to the young merchant, patting her head. Then he ordered to his men, "Surround those two! Do not let them escape!"

In a flurry of greaves and armored knights, the two of us were completely surrounded. Swords and spears were pointed at us. Knights with their menacing looks, spears glinting in the setting sun, and crusaders, their holy aura emanating from their bodies, their sword and shield ready for the fight. Johann felt scared, angry, sad, and just downright unlucky at the same time. Scared because of the spears and swords, for they were made to hurt people, and hurt them bad. Angry because the alchemist was even looking at the guard as if to challenge them, as if they weren't in deep enough trouble as it is. Sad because the little merchant had blamed _him_ alongside the real culprit for the loss of her valuables, especially for her cart, or what was left of it. Unlucky because he just had to stop by and ogle at an alchemist… okay, she was a cute alchemist, while she was doing her work. And said alchemist just had to be a psychotic girl who brewed deadly fires and man-eating plants for an afternoon pastime.

And today was Johann's unluckiest day ever...

'_I have to work my way out of this. If I could just convince them that I have no part in this, no matter how impossible that might be… I might get out of this without getting arrested_,' his optimistic way of thinking got him the courage he needed to speak. But before he even got the chance to speak, he felt his danger senses tingle. He looked at the alchemist and saw her holding a suspicious-looking bottle in her right hand. Before he could stop her, she threw the bottle at the ground. Immediately the entire place was filled with smoke. Johann could hear coughing from all over the place. He himself was coughing too, tears forming in his eyes due to irritation. He stood up and tried to get a grasp on the surroundings. Before he could do anything, again, he was grabbed by the wrist by the alchemist. He was forced to break into a run, with the lack of oxygen almost suffocating him. The two got out of the smokescreen, and they made a run for the nearest exit they could find.

"What the heck are you doing?" Johann incredulously shouted at her. "You created a hell of a situation in the marketplace and now you're running away? And why are you dragging me along with you?"

"Just shut up for a second, will you!" the alchemist shouted back. "What happened back there was entirely your fault! If you weren't sitting like an idiot right in front of me, I wouldn't have dropped all those potions!"

"Oh so now it's my fault eh?" Johann retorted. "Well if you had taken notice of me way back when I greeted you then we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place!"

"Wow, you say it like you're some hottie huh?" she replied haughtily. "I bet you look like some-"

At the moment she looked back at Johann to prove her point, opening and closing her mouth like a gaping goldfish. But she quickly looked back to where she was running. Johann didn't know it at that time, but the girl was blushing slightly. Just then the Pronteran Guard broke out of the smokescreen. They had started their chase, led by their crusader captain, looking powerful and imposing with his gleaming cross shield in his left hand and a saber in the other.

"Onward, men! We must not let these criminals get away!" he shouted to his men

"Chaaaarrrrggee!" the rest of the Pronteran Guard roared, and ran after the two in hot pursuit. Some of them were riding Peco Peco mounts, making their escape a whole lot harder than it already was. Numerous blacksmiths and merchants were joining the chase, angry at the two of them for ruining their precious marketplace, and robbing them of their potential profits for the day. The alchemist girl saw an opportunity; she pulled out five bottles from her bag and threw them behind her. Immediately, five Floras sprung out of the path, blocking the Guard and the angry mob. They began attacking those who got too close, going so far as to dismount a few soldiers from their mounts.

"What was that for? Those things could've seriously killed someone back there!" Johann shouted, clearly not happy with the way the girl was handling things.

"Wow, you're welcome! I stopped the guard from advancing, you know. If I didn't throw my precious plant bottles, we would be getting our asses hauled to the dungeon right about now," the girl justified. "And besides, those guys are a weaker version of the plants that were at the marketplace. They won't do much than just stall them… I think." She said that last part with the creepy laugh of hers. Johann shivered at that last part.

The screams and shouts he heard though made him think that the plants were doing more than just stalling their pursuers…

* * *

There you go. The edited version of my previous oneshot, and also the first chapter of my new Ragnarok story! According to tradition, when one reads the story, he/she must leave behind reviews and constructive criticisms, lest he/she be attacked by Floras. If he/she flames, however, the punishment is severe; a ton of Mei-quality bombs thrown at him/her. XD

**Edit: **You may or may not have noticed it, but I've split this chapter into two. One of my friends suggested it, so there. XD

Thanks for reading! XD


	2. Ch2: Redeyed, Purplehaired Alchemist

Chapter 2! Well, more like the second part of the former first chapter. Wow, this one chapter has undergone so many changes... But anyway, please read it and don't weep. XD

Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1

* * *

Chapter 2: The Red-Eyed, Purple-Haired Alchemist

The chase continued until evening. The girl kept throwing potions and bombs at our back to keep stop their pursuers in their tracks. Of course, that was the original plan. But as the nature of the alchemist's creations was quite destructive, her actions really did more than just stall the Guard and the angry mob. The cobblestone streets were littered with craters caused by ballistic explosive potions, some houses caught fire which were fortunately put out quickly before they spread (one storekeeper's stall wasn't that lucky though), and the fountain at the town square became unapproachable because some of the alchemist's plants found their way into its waters, making them more deadly than they already were.

Finally, the two managed to get out of the city through the western gate. There were fewer patrols there on that day, so it was easy for the alchemist to break through using her potions. Johann avoided combat as much as possible. He didn't want his name to be stained even further. As they went out into the fields, the girl threw more plant bottles on the ground near the gate, for good measure. The two didn't stop running until they got into a forest about two hundred paces away from Prontera. Once they were assured that nobody would be chasing them that far into the forest, Johann and the girl plopped down by the base of a tree near a clearing, clearly experiencing the lethargic after-effects of an adrenaline rush.

They stayed like that for about five minutes, even after their breathing settled down. Johann turned to look at the girl. She did the same, and their eyes met. Silence followed, accompanied by the chirping of the birds and the rustling of the leaves against the wind. And then they broke into fits of laughter all of a sudden, as if everything that had happened that day was just a comedy sketch, ignoring the fact that they were almost captured by the Guard multiple times in possibly the roughest ways.

"Phew!" the girl exhaled loudly, having calmed enough to speak. "Oh right, it's getting dark. Wait a moment… I have just the thing in my bag…" She rummaged through her red handbag, which had eyes and a mouth with a toothy smile. Patches were scattered all over it. She took out a bottle with a white luminescent substance inside it. It immediately brightened up the whole clearing, like a huge white bonfire. It was warm like one too, and Johann moved forward a bit, helping himself to that welcoming heat.

"How did you make this potion? I've never seen anything like it before…" Johann asked the girl curiously. To the alchemist, it came out as a compliment and she blushed as a result, much like the potion albeit a red variant of it.

"It's pretty simple, actually," the girl huffed with pride as she began her explanation. "Flame hearts are used to generate heat equivalent to that of a camp bonfire. But it only takes one or two flame hearts for the potion. Too much of it can easily turn the whole thing into a thermal bomb which can incinerate a wide area in seconds. Red bloods can be substituted for it, but it's a given that it would take at least five to ten times the amount of flame hearts for it to suffice. For the bright light we have the liquid that can only be extracted from shining plants. Those are rare, but I have a secret harvesting place for them. Of course I'm not going to tell you that, silly. In theory, mixing the flame hearts and the essences in one solution is supposed to be an easy task. It will require five hundred milimeters of karvodailnirol and a good catalyst, preferably a pinch of star crumbs. But I tell you now, it's far from easy. Oh boy, it took me hours just to get two main ingredients to balance each other and…"

The girl went chattering on about how hard and exhausting making that single luminous potion was, and something about stuff exploding in her face for no reason. Johann tried to understand what she was saying, but he was already lost at about three sentences into the girl's monologue. In fact, the alchemist didn't seem to care that Johann was dumbstruck by her explanation and her subsequent ranting. In an effort to stem the flood of words coming out of her mouth, Johann tried to get her attention, loudly.

"Ah! I forgot to ask your name! How rude of me!" Johann deliberately exclaimed, making sure to raise his volume to notches higher. That got her attention, and she thankfully stopped her nosebleed-inducing monologue. Johann was sure that if he didn't have a swordsman's endurance, he would've fainted due to blood loss just by listening to her talk.

"Oh, sorry for that winding explanation," the girl said with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of her head. She shifted her position so that she was facing Johann entirely, sitting in _seiza_ position with her hands on her lap. "My name is Maria Eltnam Flamel. Or Mei, for short. It's much of a hassle to pronounce my name, so call me Mei instead." She gave a winning smile to Johann that made him think of Comodo models. She extended a hand to him and said, "Nice to meet you, um..."

"Johann… That's my name," he took the hand and shook it in a friendly manner. "Nice to meet you as well, Mei."

Mei sensed the hesitation in Johann's voice when he mentioned his name. Her strong sense of curiosity almost drove her to ask him about it, but she knew better than to dig deeper than she should, or rather than to dig deep at all. '_I hardly know the guy… I don't have any right to suddenly inquire about that in his face… But I reaaaallly want to know…_' Mei said in her head, using quite a bit of willpower to restrain herself.

"I think we should camp out here for the night," Johann said, snapping Mei out of her thought train. "We can't possibly go back to town. The Guard will be there waiting for us. Our best bet is on this very spot, but at night the forests are dangerous… I think I should patrol while-"

"I already have the solution to that little problem," Mei interrupted, like a merchant doing sales talk to a client. She took out a bottle with an olive-green solution. There was a dark-green lump floating inside of it. "This little critter will serve as our patrol. That means both of us will be getting enough sleep for tonight. We're going to need it, since by tomorrow morning we'll be heading out to the northern Pronteran fields to gather ingredients for my plant bottles."

She threw the bottle onto the ground a few meters away from them. The sound of breaking glass was heard, and green smoke puffed up into the air. Johann had to cover his nose to block the somehow nasty smell that was coming from the smoke. Mei, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the scent at all, and was actually excited to see her creation come out. '_Ugh… She looks like how she was at that time at the marketplace,_' Johann winced at the memory.

When the smoke cleared, there stood an old stump. What made the stump special was that it had vines wrapped around it, and they were glowing faintly. The vines were also pumping rhythmically, as if it were the blood vessels of the plant. The strangest thing about the plant was the girl sitting on top of the stump. She looked no older than five years, and she had green hair with a single sprout on top of her head. Other features included a vine attached to her back, which in turn was split into the smaller vines that entangled the stump.

"A funny name the researchers at Yuno give this creature. A name such as Parasite… Such a harsh name for an innocent creature such as her…" Mei sadly said, feeling sorry for the creature. Johann couldn't say anything. He was either disturbed by the fact that a Parasite was going to be their night patrol, or by Mei's statement about the origins of the Parasite's name. "Don't worry, she won't attack us," Mei reassured him. "She recognizes me as her master. Although she might have a bit of a problem with you, so I suggest you stay away from her."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," Johann said, thinking he won't be getting near the Parasite anytime soon. Just then he remembered what Mei said before she threw her Parasite plant bottle. He remembered in particular a certain word; 'we.'

"Wait, you did say we we're going to the northern fields to get stuff, right?" Johann asked.

"Yep. What are you deaf or something?" Mei answered in a mocking tone.

"Heck, no. It's just that the 'we' in that statement caught my attention," Johann said. "Does that mean I'm coming along with you?"

"Of course you are!" Mei said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, it's either that or you could stay behind in this forest or you drag yourself back to Prontera. Either way you're going to get in big trouble. I don't think you have that much choice in the matter."

'_I don't like the way she said that last part,_' Johann thought. '_But she does have a point. I'd rather go with her to Glast Heim than go back to that town. Who knows, I might get something good out of it. Besides, I was getting tired of that place anyway… And my sense of adventure is heating up."_

"Alright, Mei. I'll come with you," Johann said. "It sounds like fun. Besides, I've been planning for an adventure of my own for quite some time now."

At that moment Mei's eyes were sparkling, literally. The luminous potion gave more emphasis to that sparkle in her eyes as she heard him say, 'I'll come with you.' Johann was taken aback. He didn't think that him coming along with him would have this much impact on her. He was sure that if they weren't very tired from running around Prontera and into the forest, she would be jumping up and down now.

"This is great!" Mei squealed in delight. "With the two of us, we could gather twice the amount of ingredients for my potions! And I could use you as a meatshield in case we get attacked by strong monsters! Finally I can get someone to carry some of my things for me… You don't know how hard it was for me to hold an armful of maneater blossoms and try to escape a horde of agriopes on my tail. Also with you there would be higher chances of survival! You're a swordsman, of course… You could hold off any monsters while I collect the necessary items. But there is the problem of travelling costs… I mean the two of us means more expensive inn fees. Not to mention..."

Once again Mei was off spouting words that she managed to string into coherent sentences. Johann found the part about him being a meatshield a bit irritating, though. But he didn't really mind, because for the first time that day he saw Mei smile like a girl, instead of that mad grin she flashed many times that day. She seemed really happy that someone was coming along with her, and Johann couldn't help but smile with her. At the time he found himself wondering if that mad scientist he saw back at the market place was really her. '_Either that was a realistic hallucination, or she's bipolar…_" Johann thought.

"I think we should get some sleep now," Johann said clearly enough to stop Mei's loud chatter. "We need all the energy we can get for tomorrow. The northern fields are pretty far away if you ask me."

"Yeah, you're right…" Mei said, calming down a bit. She saw Johann getting ready to lie on the ground, and then she suddenly asked, "You're not thinking of sleeping on the cold, hard earth, are you?"

"What's wrong with that?" Johann asked, as if sleeping on the ground was the most natural thing to him. "There's grass growing on it. It would make for a fine sleeping mat."

"Well I have other means of sleeping outdoors," Mei haughtily said. She rummaged in her red handbag once more and pulled out a rolled-up blanket and a heart-shaped pillow (_'How do they all fit inside that tiny handbag?_' Johann wondered.) She fixed her pseudo-bed on the ground, and she lied down, her back facing Johann.

Johann was just looking at Mei, when he realized that he was in such a pitiful state, lying on the cold, hard earth without anything but grass to lie on. He wanted a blanket that badly, but he wasn't going to tell that to her. He felt that to ask her for a spare blanket was to admit defeat. He resigned to his fate and tried to sleep in spite of the multiple lumps that he felt on the small of his back.

"Goodnight, Johann…"

He turned to look at Mei, who he realized had already fallen asleep. It wasn't surprising, for someone as tired as her. He was amazed at the energy she had when she was ranting earlier that evening. For no reason he smiled as he looked at her peaceful form. He was looking forward to what will happen tomorrow, and for the next few days, or months. Thinking about that made Johann a little bit excited about his new adventure.

"Goodnight, Mei…"

He fell asleep soon after, overcome by fatigue and drowsiness. Back then, if he could only look at Mei's face as she slept, he would see her face adorned by a sweet, happy, and hopeful smile.

* * *

And thus a new adventure begins! I hope you could stick with me till the end of this. XD As always, please leave a sensible review. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will be dealt with accordingly, and by that I mean with bomb potions. XD

See ya soon! I hope...


	3. Ch3: Onward to Flora Fields

Sorry for the very long delay... College life is very hard... Especially the finals... But now that it's sembreak, I finally found the chance to update this story.

For those few who were waiting, here it is. Hope you guys are still tuning in!

Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1 (me is too lazy to write it all. XD)

* * *

Chapter 3: Onward to Flora Fields

Two people were running through a wide open grassland. A purple-haired girl was dragging a young man with blonde hair as they ran across the field, the gentle wind ruffling their hair and caressing their faces. They were laughing so freely in their place of freedom. The girl playfully pulled the blonde until they got into the middle of the vast field. Under the soothing sunlight, with the wind slowing down into a comforting breeze, and with the fresh smell of grass mingled with the smell of the girl's perfume, it was the perfect place for the blonde. Then when he thought it couldn't get any better, the girl twirled around to face him, and gave a smile. It wasn't sweet nor cute, just a simple smile. But for the guy, that made the moment picture perfect. He almost had to pinch himself to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming.

And then, he blinked.

He had only become aware of the screams after he opened his eyes again. He was no longer in a grassland but rather in a familiar-looking town square, and an inferno was surrounding the two of them. The houses and shops bordering the square are up in flames, some already completely burned to the ground. The cobblestone floor of the square was littered with small craters with smoke coming up from within. All around vicious-looking plants were writhing and snapping, some lashing out at unfortunate citizens who were trying to run away. Most of them were either covered with severe burns or huge gashes; some were already lying on the ground, dead. Those who remained were screaming desperately for help, all their voices concentrated on the blonde that was rooted to the spot, horrified at the scene before him. Something clicked in his mind, and he looked right ahead, at the purple-haired girl that was supposed to be standing in front of him.

She was gone. Right on the spot where she was supposed to be stood a different woman. She looked the same as the girl he was with a moment ago, with her clothes, her purple-hair and her crimson eyes. Except that her hair looked very unkempt, her eyes were blazing with blood-red light, and her mouth was twisted into a mad grin, showing her teeth which were sharp as a shark's. Then she let out a shrieking laugh, one that sent every single hair on the blonde's body on end.

Demon.

That was the only word he could think of to label the woman standing in front of him. He wanted to run, but he couldn't move his legs. He was rendered motionless by the maniacal stare of the woman. She laughed once again, before she raised her arms. In a swift motion she swung her arms down, and all at once the plants came charging at him, along with the blaze that seemed to come alive at her bidding. Soon he was about to be engulfed by the flames and the writhing plant mass. And through a gap in the plants he saw the woman giving him one last smile, neither wicked nor friendly. Just a smile.

Then everything came crashing down on him.

Johann bolted upright, panting heavily. He was drenched in cold sweat. His hair was unruly, his clothes were ruffled, and his eyes were wide in terror. He tried to recall what he was dreaming about, but he could only remember the girl, the demonic woman, the town square of Prontera (as he recognized just now) infested with plants and going down in flames, and his presumed demise at the hand of the woman. Even with only snapshots of his dream, he felt them too real to be just a dream.

He stood up, almost falling down again due to wobbly knees. He wiped the sweat off his face and he surveyed his surroundings. He saw trees and grass all around him, along with a few curious pink creatures he identified as porings. '_Wait, why am I here? I'm supposed to be in Prontera, which hopefully wasn't burned down… I just got back from a quest in Alberta… Huh?_' Something in Johann's mind clicked, and he looked down. He saw a girl sleeping on a makeshift bed made up of a blanket and a heart-shaped pillow. There was a funny-looking red handbag sitting next to the girl, and what looked like a PhD hat lying messily on her head. He could make out the purple hair from underneath the hat. '_Her clothes… that hat… that bag… and that hair… She looks familiar,_' Johann thought, rattling his mind.

Then it hit him. The fire, the plants, the craters, the screaming people, the chasing mob, and the most vivid of them all, the crazy laugh of the girl sleeping on the ground. The rush of thoughts put him on alert, and the first thing that entered into his mind was terror. He quickly thought of ways to escape without waking her up. '_Great. I'm with a psychotic girl in the middle of a forest in who-knows-where. I can easily get away, but where am I supposed to go? It's not helping that she looks like that demon in my dream… Gah… Don't tell me I'm stuck here…'_

His thought train stopped when another thing clicked in his mind. The flashes of events came back to him, only thing was, he became part of each memory. In every mental picture he saw himself with the same demon girl that was snoring on the forest floor. '_Oh right… I was with her the whole time. And to think it all started with me ogling at her like some idiot._'

'_Come to think of it, why_ did _I stare at her?_' Johann contemplated. '_She's nothing but a simple alchemist. An alchemist with a pretty face, white skin, and a b-… Okay, let's not go there. Safe to say that any sane guy passing by would definitely stop to look at an alchemist like her doing her thing, mixing potions and stuff.'_

He paused, contemplating what to say next. "And, because of her, I was able to escape that stuffy old town. I should thank her," he said to no one.

"You say thanks to who?" a groggy voice spoke. Johann almost jumped out of his skin at hearing that familiar female voice. He looked down and saw the woman stirring awake. Her eyes opened to reveal a crimson color. Her pink lips parted and gave way to a long yawn. She slowly got up, stretching her slim body in various places. Her purple hair was a mess, and her dirty PhD hat lay forgotten on the floor. She gave one more yawn, before looking at Johann. Something seemed to be working inside her head, processing the identity of the blond-haired blue-eyed man that was standing in front of her.

"Oh… Good morning, Johann…" the woman said, still in a daze.

"Uh… Morning, Mei," Johann replied.

Then without warning, Mei the Alchemist exclaimed, "TODAY, I GIVE IT MY ALL!"

Apparently it was part of her morning ritual, but Johann still found it very weird. Not to mention it had the potential of attracting nearby monsters to unprepared people who just woke up from their sleep. This certain thought was the one blaring alarms in Johann's mind, because he snapped awake, grabbed Mei by the arm and covered her mouth with his hand.

"What are you thinking?" Johann whispered angrily to her. "You want us to get killed or something? What if you draw a monster towards us with that shouting of yours?"

"Mmm, mmmm mmmph MMMPH!" Mei tried to say. Johann didn't get it, but then he noticed that he still had his hand over her mouth. He let her go and immediately she retaliated, very much irritated by Johann's actions.

"What's your problem? It's part of my morning routine," Mei explained, now fully awake as well. "Besides, you really have nothing to worry about. Have you forgotten our little ward girl?"

"Our little… what?"

"Just watch," Mei said, pointing to a stump a few meters away from our camp. It would have been a normal stump, except for the fact that there was a girl sitting on it. From the bushes near it a Thief Bug popped out. By its nature, the moment it spotted our things lying around them, it quickly skittered towards them. It never arrived at its destination, as it was peppered with seeds in just a split second. Only bits and pieces of the poor Thief Bug remained where it once stood.

Mei looked happy, and even proud, at her little creation's achievement. Johann stayed silent for about two seconds. The girl on the stump seemed to glare at him for a bit, before going back to its post. Then he thought, '_Note to self, getting on this girl's bad side is not such a good idea, unless I want to be attacked by vicious plants_.'

"Well, we have a long day ahead of us," Mei said, picking up her things, including the luminous bottle she used for last night's bonfire. "Hurry up, Johann."

"Work?... Oh right," Johann remembered the deal he had with Mei. He had to help her gather ingredients to brew potions as replacements to the ones she used to help the two of them escape Prontera. '_Those potions did more damage than help, though_,' Johann thought as he pictured the town ravaged by Mei's dangerous concoctions.

"Seeing as we're both ready, I'm going to give a little briefing for today's activities," Mei said.

"Our destination is north of here, and we have a bit of walking to do, so be prepared. The place is a fertile ground for Floras, the plants with human-like features, with the most prominent being the digestive system. To get there, we have to pass through the territory of Eclipse, the mother Lunatic. Hopefully we won't have to encounter it, but if we do, I trust you to keep us both safe-"

"Question," Johann interrupted. "Why am I the only one defending? You can do something with your potions, right?"

"Um… It's just… You're the swordsman. So _you_ have to fight it."

'_Nice logic_,' Johann thought, smirking a bit. He didn't notice it, but there was a small blush on Mei's cheeks.

"Now, if we start walking now, we can get there by noon. We'll have enough time to gather the blossoms way before nightfall. Hopefully we can spend the night at the inn in Al De Baran. I don't want to sleep on the cold, hard ground again. My back hurts just from last night… But we have to watch out for the petite dragons along the way, though.

"Well, that's it. Let's go, Johann!" Mei merrily said, pumping a fist in the air.

And thus, after Mei disabled the Parasite, the little girl ward, using some sort of potion, the pair started their walk towards the Flora fields. Nothing major happened for the most part of the journey, except for their unlucky encounter with the Eclipse. For some strange reason, Mei was stunned at the sight of the Eclipse. Johann had to literally drag her away from the scene before they were overcome by the huge bunny and its kids. Because of that, they had to take an early lunch due to the running they did, with Johann doing most of it. And even then they were almost assaulted by a mandragora taking root nearby.

By noon, they got to their destination. As Mei had mentioned, it was a place of a Floras. They were scattered all over the place. Mei looked ecstatic at the sight of the plant life, possibly at the prospect of making use of their parts to concoct her precious potions. Johann involuntarily shuddered at the thought of Mei's potions.

"We're here!" Mei shouted excitedly. She seemed to have forgotten the Thief Bug incident that happened that morning, and Johann face-palmed himself at that. She also appeared to have a knack for attracting dangerous creatures, because a huge bug that happened to be passing by heard her voice, and started crawling towards them, and it was crawling fast. It was an Argiope, a monster with aggressive tendencies.

"Stand back," Johann said, getting in front of Mei. He drew his sword, an ornate katana, and got into stance. The agriope was almost upon them, raising its upper appendages to bite their heads off with its poisonous jaws. Johann breathed deeply, and in one swift motion, sliced the bug with his katana. Injured, the Argiope retreated back, but tried once again to attack the pair. Johann went back into stance, and waited for the monster to approach. Then as it came half a meter away from him, he made two diagonal slashes, finishing with an overhead vertical slash. The Argiope stayed in place for a second before collapsing on the ground, its upper half showing three huge gashes. Johann cleaned his sword with a cloth he took out from his pocket, and returned it to its scabbard. Everything happened in the span of five seconds.

"Wow," was all Mei could say. She never saw him fight until that day. And she was impressed with his swordsmanship, even if it appeared unfamiliar to her.

"If I remember, you have blossoms to collect, remember?" Johann said.

"Oh right!" Mei said, walking around the Argiope's corpse and towards the nearest Flora. "Um… sorry for shouting like that… I always do that when I'm excited… And thanks for dealing with that Argiope…" she added, smiling at him.

"No problem," Johann said. "The last rice ball will go to me after all."

"Hey, no fair!" Mei complained. "I was saving that last one for me…"

"Too bad. Consider that as payment for having me deal with the other monsters here."

Mei just huffed and went back to the Flora. She didn't make three steps when an arrow came whizzing past her ear, lodging itself onto the ground in front of her. She fell down in shock, her face showing intense fear at having an arrow dangerously close to her head. Johann quickly drew his katana, on the lookout for the culprit.

"Show yourself!" Johann shouted. The answer was flying another arrow, this time landing on the space between Johann's feet. Realizing that they can't do anything without risking death by arrows, Johann sheathed his weapon and brought up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, whoever you are. What do you want?" Johann called out to the shooter.

In response, a figure came out of nowhere. He walked to the immobilized pair, his bow at the ready, and an arrow cocked, ready to be fired. When he got nearer, Johann immediately recognized the get-up of the Hunters. The man was wearing aviator goggles, with what looked like a sunflower resting on top of it. The flower would've made Johann and Mei laugh out loud, if it weren't for the situation they were in right now.

The hunter surveyed the two of them, from top to bottom. He kept his bow trained on them, making sure they stayed were they were. After a while he grinned, and spoke up.

"Welcome to my territory, you bastards."

* * *

Trouble for our young heroes... What will happen next? Is this hunter a friend or a foe, or someone the author put as an extra to move the plot along? Whoever it is, find out in the next chapter. XD

BTW, _serious_ reviews are very much appreciated. Flames will be flamed by Mei... (Mei: You don't want that, guys. You really don't. [chuckles])

See ya...


	4. Ch4: There is no Trap

Chap 4 is up... After two months. I am so sorry! (Bows)

Mei: You should be ashamed of yourself, letting school come first before me.

Myst: Um... That's because I need to go to school remember?

Mei: So all I have to do is burn down your school so that you'll spend more time writing about me... And Johann.

Myst and Johann: ...

Mei: Now that's settled, please enjoy this chapter. (bows)

**Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1. **

* * *

Chapter 4: There is no Trap

"Welcome to my territory, you bastards."

Like the famous Gunslingers of Einbroch with their cowboy hats and twirling guns, the mysterious figure spoke. His aviator goggles glinted in the afternoon sun, as well as the arrow that was pointed at Johann and Mei. The former had no qualm that said arrow would find itself buried in their bodies if they make one false move.

'_Crap. For all the random encounters in Rune-Midgar, this just _had_ to happen. And try as I might, I can't deflect arrows with my katana. I'm not like those flashy samurai in that historical fiction I read,' _Johann thought.

"Now listen here you two. I'm a nice man, so I'll let you explain yourselves a bit," the man cockily said. "Depending on your answer, I just might spare your asses."

'_Kh.. No choice. I have to talk,_' Johann conceded. "We're just going to gather a few maneater blossoms for my partner's potions. We don't intend on doing any harm at all," Johann explained.

"Don't intend on doin' any harm, eh?" the man repeated with a questioning tone.

"Uh… Yeah?" Johann answered.

"Wrong answer," the man said menacingly as he readied his bow to fire. Johann instantly regretted saying yes to the man.

"RUN!" Johann shouted grabbing a still-dazed Mei and broke into a run. Just as he did so an arrow came flying just a few inches from his face, lodging itself in a nearby tree. This prompted Johann to run even faster, not caring that he was literally dragging Mei around. The man ran after them, firing arrows one after another, each shot flying through the air with a whizzing sound. Strangely, the arrows weren't hitting them, either due to their luck, or due to the man's discretion.

"Double Strafe!" the man shouted, shooting two arrows in progression at blinding speed. Johann didn't have time to think; he just pushed Mei to the ground and hurled himself in the opposite direction. He didn't make it in time. He found one arrow sticking out of his arm guard. He felt a stinging pain where the arrow had hit him, but thanks to the guard it only managed to cut skin-deep.

"Better that than having it pierce through my arm, or worse," Johann muttered to himself.

The man gave them no space to recover. As soon as he shot Johann he quickly fired another arrow aimed at Mei. Instinctively, Johann immediately recovered and lunged at Mei, pulling her away from the arrow's flight path. Again, he felt the pain of an arrow burying itself in his flesh.

"Gah! Snap out of it, Mei!" Johann screamed, trying to wake her up from her stunned daze. "It's really hard getting hit with arrows. I don't know about you but they hurt!"

Instead of answering back, Mei just mumbled some words that Johann didn't quite catch. He was starting to get real frustrated with the girl in his arms, when he realized that the hunter that could kill both of them in a matter of seconds was still behind them, steadily approaching them. Worst of all, Johann heard the dreadful sound of a bow getting ready to fire.

'_Oh well. In cases like this, run like hell and never look back,_' and he did exactly just that. The hunter, getting excited by the thrill of the hunt, chased the two through the fields. If Johann could see his face, he would see an expression of predatory hunger. But it wasn't ravaging like a wild cat, but calm and deadly like a falcon, the signature animal of a Hunter. He kept placing well-aimed shots at his prey, but somehow Johann would manage to dodge each and every arrow he fired.

"Whew! For a Swordie, you sure got some wheels on your heels," the hunter said in amazement. "Then I think it's time for me to try something different."

He stopped in his tracks, taking time to draw his bow to its maximum point. The arrow in his hands started to give a bright, ominous glow. Johann didn't stop to have a look-see. He just kept on running, taking what he thought to be a big opportunity to get away from the murderous Hunter. In his adrenaline-pumped state he forgot that Hunters can do much more than just a Double Strafe.

"If two arrows can't stop you…" he pulled on the string tighter. "Then how about twenty of them!" He released his grip, sending his arrow flying into the air. It twinkled for a moment like the morning star, and then…

"ARROW STORM!"

…Split into about twenty arrows, each raining down on Johann and Mei with the intent to kill as strong as their owner's. With his heightened senses as a Swordsman, Johann felt death coming down on them. He didn't need to think. He just had to do what his body wanted to do, following the patterns engraved on him through rigorous training. In one fluid motion he threw Mei away from him, drew his katana, and in one shout executed the most explosive skill of a Swordsman.

"MAGNUM BREAK!"

A blast of force and heat erupted from a single swing of his katana, creating a temporary shield against the rain of arrows. It also made a very convenient smokescreen which Johann gladly took advantage of. He carried Mei, who was miraculously unharmed considering she still looked dazed. He was beginning to think that she might have gone into a coma, but the thought only flashed in his mind for a bit. He focused on running away as fast as he can from the Hunter, hoping that the makeshift smokescreen would distract him long enough so that they could escape.

"Haah.. Haah.. What is that guy's problem?" Johann complained while running, a semi-conscious Mei resting in his arms. "He comes attacking us with no particular reason. And on top of that, I have to carry this useless girl who weighs… ugh… Ever considered taking a diet?"

"I am not fat. And I am not useless," Mei suddenly spoke up. A jolt went down Johann's spine as he heard her voice, which for him was unexpected in this kind of situation. That and he felt, for an instant, an icy-cold murderous intent from the way she spoke. "I was in a state of suspended thought, reorganizing my memories stored within multiple compartments hidden in a section of my brain. It was hard, considering that I was getting roughed up a bit back there. And that last comment from you almost ruined my concentration. ('There's that killing intent again,' Johann thought.) I was trying to find the memory related to that Hunter and the events that had transpired up to now, using it to identify our assailant in order to formulate the optimal plan of action for us to take."

About two seconds of silence, before a confused Johann said, "So… Eh?"

"In short, I'm figuring out who that guy was, and what we could do about him," Mei said, sighing at her partner's lack of understanding.

"Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Johann said, ignoring the sigh. "So, who was that guy?"

"I remember meeting him a few months back when I was replenishing my ingredient stores. He attacked me the same way he did us, screaming something about saving the planet. Luckily I was able to get away before he could do any real damage, but I lost some of my precious potions for that," Mei explained.

"Wow, you escaped. You, an Alchemist. Escaped. From a Hunter. And he was shooting arrows. You were throwing potions. Yep. You escaped," Johann said, deliberately showing his sarcasm.

"Shut up you!" Mei indignantly said, slapping him in the process. "I may be an Alchemist, but I've got more than those boring old teachers back at the institute.

"But it certainly wasn't easy. He didn't have just arrows. What marks a Hunter other than arrows?" Mei asked.

"Traps," Johann stated the obvious, with a huge red handprint swelling on his right cheek.

"So don't you find it strange that he stopped attacking us, and that there are no death traps springing on us right now?" Mei asked again.

"Now that you mention it… It does seem strange," Johann said. "After I blocked his attack with Magnum Break, I used the resulting smokescreen as a diversion to run away… It's been silent ever since."

"Hmmm… Is that so? Then I have another question for you."

"Shoot."

"Why are you stop – woah!"

At exactly the same time she said it, Johann felt himself lunge forward. In reality, only his hips up to his head lunged forward. He felt intense pain from his legs due to the sharp resistance that prevented him from falling over. It was a feat that he managed to keep Mei in his arms in spite of all that. He looked down to see what happened, and he saw himself literally rooted to the ground by a multitude of wires wrapping themselves around his feet and legs. The bindings on him are so tight that they actually drew blood, the wires digging into his legs.

"Kuh-! Shit, that hurt! I should've known there would be traps lying around," Johann cursed his unfortunate condition.

"Thanks for not dropping me," Mei uttered her gratitude, her voice shaky due to the sudden force of inertia that acted on her. "But how could you not consider traps in your getaway plan, when our enemy is a Hunter, master of bows and _traps_." She put heavy emphasis on the last word.

"I knew Swordsmen were dumb, but you really took it up a notch," Mei said with something in between genuine amazement and ridicule.

It was Johann's turn to hit Mei on the head. The expression on Mei's face when he did that screamed 'UNFAIR. You know you're stronger than me physically. You could've eased up a bit.'

"I was trying to save both our asses from that guy. Of course I'm bound to forget some things," Johann defended himself. "Besides, what's done is done. Now either we just sit here like ducks and wait to be turned into pincushions, or we think of a plan to get out of here, survive, and possibly do a number on that Hunter as a bonus."

"I have a plan," Mei said. "Put me down."

He did as he was told, and waited for another long and boring discussion about a highly complex plan devised by his very intelligent Alchemist partner. It would be structured very intricately, with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, plus some recommendations. He was waiting for that and for the chance to make a witty comeback to stop her running mouth since they didn't have that much time to actually plan that much.

Yet she said nothing. She simply took out six vials containing green liquid from her red handbag, holding them in her hands like a Ninja would with six kunai. Johann stared in disbelief. He didn't expect Mei to assume a battle stance, much less one a Ninja usually uses. He had so many things he wanted to shout at her. '_Is she serious? She's planning to fight that guy head-on? She's gonna get killed in less than a second!_'

But he remembered her skill in the fields of pyrotechnics and carnivorous plants, so while he had some reservations, he can't deny that maybe she could do something after all. There are Alchemists that are known for their battle prowess, small in number they may be.

'_Still, I can't see that battle prowess in her… First of all I've never seen her with an axe. But if you call having psychotic tendencies as battle-prowess, then she has a whole lot of it,_' Johann thought.

Her body was still, waiting in anticipation for their chaser. Her eyes were darting to and fro, searching her surroundings for any sign of the enemy. Her breathing was slow and steady, like a Monk in meditation. Silence pervaded the forest. There wasn't any wind at all, making it easier for Mei to notice anything strange in the field.

It is very different from what was going on inside her mind, though.

'_Oh my… I'm so nervous! Oooooh, when will that guy show up? I hope I won't mess this up… Tch, damn me and my huge ego. I was caught up in the moment, damn it! I wanted to prove to Johann that I can fight on my own… But now I'm in danger of getting pierced through multiple parts of my body with pointy arrows! And they will hurt! Grrrr… This is all your fault, Johann! If it wasn't for you undermining my capabilities, I wouldn't have to do this… Thanks a lot. If I die, I am seriously going to haunt you. Remember it!_'

At that moment she heard a rustle in one of the overhead branches, and the unmistakable draw of a bow. Her thought processes stopped, and following strong human survival instincts to protect herself she threw all six vials all around her. Loud explosions was heard everywhere, followed by a surge of green smoke. It immediately covered the entire area, creating a dome of gas. Mei seemed to have immunity from the gas, since she was still standing with nothing happening to her body. A distinct thud was heard a few meters away from her, followed by another thud behind her.

When the smoke cleared, Mei saw the Hunter lying flat on his face in a weird and somehow painful position. It looked almost comical in a sense. She was filled with relief and pride that she was able to take down the enemy by herself. Then she felt the urge to rub that particular fact in Johann's face so many times he would be forced to recognize her.

"Johann! Did you see what I did? I-"she turned around, trying to brag about her achievement to Johann. But he wasn't standing behind her; he was lying on his back, his legs still bound to the ground. He looked like someone preparing to do crunches. He had drool running down the side of his face, and he had swirls for eyes. The second thud Mei heard came to mind, and she instantly knew who that was.

"Um… Johann?" Mei kneeled next to him, poking him with his finger in an attempt to wake him up. "Come on, Johann. Wake up. Don't joke around with me."

Johann didn't move an inch. Mei swore she heard a snore coming from his mouth. She poked him again, about three times. When that didn't work, she slapped him hard on the face for good measure. Now he had two swelling handprints on his face, but he was still unconscious.

"Wow. I was expecting my sleeping gas to work against that Hunter, but I didn't expect it to be this effective," Mei said, looking down at the sleeping figure of Johann. "I should be proud of myself, but now I am troubled with what to do with these two men…"

She sighed, torn between admiring her work and taking care of the two unconscious men with her. "I guess I'll start with him… This should be fun… Hehehehe…"

Mei approached the Hunter, a dubious smile on her face. She dug her hand into her magical red handbag, and she took out a few meters of rope, and a blindfold, plus some syringes full of yellow liquid…

* * *

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review, since your voice counts. And it will help me improve my writing. So if you want to see a better Mei and a better Johann, please review!

Mei: So you're saying I'm not good enough?

Myst: No! I didn't say anything! I-uh... You're... perfect! Just the way you are. Right, Johann?

Johann: ...

Myst: Thanks a lot...

Mei: I think a punishment is in order... You like acid, right? (smiles)

Myst: NOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo...


End file.
